Potato-digger.



J. REUTHER.

POTATO BIGGER.

APPLmATIoN FILED MAR.1s,19oa.

92231 u Patented May 25, 1909.

3 SHEETS-SEEE T 1.

J". REUTHER.

POTATO BIGGER.

PPLIGATION FILED MAR.1a,19oa.

922,81 6 Patented May 25, 1909.

a SHEETS-SHEET 2.

J. REUTHER.

PoTATo BIGGER.

APPLICATION FILED-MAR. 13,1908.

latglted May 25, 3.909.

3 SHEETS--SHEET 3.

enr i srars arnis'r ortica. y

:foi-iN esprima, or sAsr Annone, NEW ironic.

ioTA'io-DIGGER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mayes, 1909.

Application'iled March 13, 1908. *Serial No. 420,794:

To all whom it may concern."

Be it known that I, JOHN .RiaUTi-Inn, a citi-V zen of the United States, residing at East Aurora, in the county of Erie and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Potato-Diggers, of which the following is a specification.

rlfhisinvention relates more particularly to elevatorpotatofdiggeis, comprising a plow,

shovel or digging blade, an endless elevator or'separator which receives the potatoes, earth and vines from the plow and effects a preliminary separation of the potatoes from' the soil and vines, and a shaker or secondary separator which receives the potatoes and remaining soil and vines vfrom the -tail of the elevator and effects a final separation thereof. n

Une' of the Aobjects construction of a simple, compact andeiiivcient machine ofthis class which is compara tively inexpensive.`

A. further object .is to im roye the con-` struction of the elevator wit 'i a view of inl creasing its separating capacity, rendering it more durable and avoiding clogging thereof. ln the accompanying drawings consisting of three sheets: Figure 1 is an enlarged loiigitudinal section ofthe machine, the draft pole vand truck being omitted. Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section of a portion of the elevator, on an enlarged scale. top plan view of the machine. Fig. 4 is a fragn'ieiitary longitudinal section of the. elevator at right angles to Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a vertical longitudinal section in line 5- 5, Fig. 3, showing one of the roller-Scrapers of the elevator. Fig. 6 is a fragmentary longitudinal section in line 6 5, Fig. 5. Figli? is a transverse section .of the machine inline 7--7, Fig. 1.' Fig. 8 is alongitudinal section in line 8&8, Fig. 3,"on areduced scale. Fig.v 9 is'l a front elevation'of one ofthe cranked rods of the elevator. Fig.. l0 is a top'plan view of the front portion of the machine.

Similar characters 'of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views.

A indicates the main4 axle of the machine to which the ground wheels A1 are secured in the customary manner. Upon this axle the nia-in frame is supported which comprisesv forwardly-inclined side bars B, vertical eX` tensions B1l depending from the rear endsof the side bars, a rear tie-rod .lo connecting the lower ends of said extensions and a front tieof the invention is the Fig. 3 is a sectional the usual single-pointed'plow or shovel may.A

be employed. Villen, however, the machineis use in soil covered with crab grass, the' digging dev-ice preferably consists of a pair side by side andsecured toaJ pair of carrying arms D1 secured to the front ends of the sidev bars B and bent inwardly under the blades,

' asshown, each of these arnis'carrying one of the blades. The pitcher angle of convergenceof the sides ofY these blades is comparatively sharp, as shown, so that crab grass will 'not catch on the blades and pile up thereon, which` is liable to occur when a singleblade with abrupt edges is used, but the saine will befdeflected and pass freely over the surface of the blades onto the elevator,

of pointed blades or shovels D, D- arranged preventing clogging or 'obstruction of the l machine. v

As shown in Figs. 3 and 10', the rear por` tions of the blades are separated,lsay about an inch, to form a narrow throat or passage through-which a part of the crabgrass passes. This spaced arrangement of the vtwinblades also has the important advan. Lge that it does not divide the soil but allows it to remain intggfct and pass'in'that condition'oiito the elet'ator'. -Iftheblades were arranged closetogeth'er, the soil would be divided and some of it withfthe adhering fpotatoes Would' .be liable'to escape laterally before reaching the elevator.

' As shown 'in the drawings, the elevator or `endless separator whichA is arranged numediatelybeliind the blades D'consists of a pair of endless chains, 'belts or carriers E and om the blades ice cranked transverse rods or b ars-F-carried by i the cliains. In the preferred construction shown, these .carriers consist of-.sprocket portions chains running withtheir front around sinootli'guide rollers g"-j`ournaled on l the end portions of'the-tie-rqd b1,

tli/eirrear portions around ,sprocket-Wheels.

.g1 secured to a transverseshaftg2 supported v iio.

hangers or bearings g3 carried by the rear portions of the side-barS'- B,`as best seen in ig.. On the ends vof ..t l iev` shaft g?. are,

" elevated position-.-

ventedironigialling;throng ltw'eer'i them; and the rods' are preferably mounted gear pinions g4 rneshing'with 'gearv wheels g5 secured to the axle A whereb the elevator is driven from the latter. The ower sides of the chains are supported by sprocket 15 Wheels 'g carriedby the main framel of the machine. V 97 indicates Scrapers carried by the main frame and running in contactjwith the front guide rollers .g for detaching any adhering soil and insuring a free action of the elevatorchains.

The rods rein-.iid .mostri-1e fuir Width o'f' the elevator and are provided'at their end.

portions with crank arms j terminating `in Journals' o'r wrist-pins'f whichl turn-freely in openings-0 1'y bearings in thechains E. In the construction 'shown in the drawings, these wrist-pins.' arejournaled centrally in the chain-hnksyan'dthe crank arms ofthe rods 20 are of such aflehgththat the end portions of eachrod overlapthe crank arms of the next 'adjadent rod, as best'show'n in Figs. 1,' 2 and 4,5`so`l 'that said crankedend portions form vstops whereby'the rods on 'the upper side of the-elevatorv are su' orted in t eir -normal the vupper side -of `the elevator, hare free to swing upwardly andrearwardl'y without re- 30 straint, so as to dro into a pendent position upon assing aroun A'the rear sprocket wheels g1 an while on the 'underside ofthe elevator, as shown in Fi l. The rods are arranged so `closely toget er that t'he potatoes are preround, as" shown, but maybe of any other suitable cross' section, if desired. By offsetting the front tie rod' b1 rearwardly, as shown,

"same "andi vthe elevator-'rods' F to revent lstones' from lodging at this point an vblocking' theelevator.'

An 'a itator of any suitable construction is preferably arrangedto coperate 'with' the elevator-rods Ffon the uppersidc of the ele v ator for shakingthem'andloosening 'and breaking u the soil.-l vThe preferred agitator sho in t e drawings consists of a series of sinne.' -faced rollers H journaled on horizontal studs k carried-by a longitudinal supporting bar or frame I1. This frame is arranged centrally underneath the'upper side of the endless elevator and extends nearly from end d to end thereof. This-frame is vertically adjustable, so that the rollers H may be raised to afgreater or less extent intothe path cf th'e elevator-rods F, thereby compelling the rods morev or less vigorously.- Thel rollers are properly spaced'to allowan elevated rod to drop upon the adjacent rod after clearing4 the roller and before mounting the, next roller. For this purpose, the rollers .a'r'e preferably spaced togengage alternate rods-'and artor.- -V indicates a draft-truckl of any suitable construction, V1 the draft pole and W draft bars connecting. the mainframe ofthe Ina- 4 l e rods, while thus limited inv their v i \'1vnward movement when on'- the4 spaces bei a sufficiently wide space is'left between the4 to trip over the rollers and agita-ting them' r'an ediin staggeredordei' on opposite-'sidesl I of t esupporting bar I1, as s'hown in Figs; land-3.

' inthe construction'shown the drawins,4

the barili-is carried at its rear end by alin lpivoted upon'the. axle A ,ahdj'near its front end by an army'v1 secured toa' transverse rock shaft J carried by the' side-bars B and having 4ahand-lever J1 tor. turning it'.` This shaft is locked iii-position by any suitable means, the device shown in. the. drawings', Fig. 8, consisting' of a.v catch' f2 interlocking y with a notched'segment j3 carried by the frame of f L, L1 indicate the 'shaker which receives the 'po tatoes, vines and any remaining soil from* the delivery end ofthe elevator and effec'tsla inalseparation ofthe potatoes from vthe vines and soil in a 'manner common tothis'. class of machines. `The shaker'rnay be of any suitable construction.

' U is a seat-su porting yoke or frainewhich straddles the eevato'r andis secured at its sides to theside-bars B of 'the` 4main frame and the. side or guard plates U1 ofthe elevachinewith the truck.

x indicates a hand-lever for vertically adjusting the front portion of the frame whichL- carries'the blades D andthe elevator, said` lever being connected with the seat-yoke byl'inks at The operation' of the machine is as follows: The p otatoes,'"soil and vines dug up by the blades D pass upon the receiving end of the elevator Which conveys the-mass rearwardly,

thereof, and as the rods" trip over the elevated.

agitating rollers H they are vigorously shaken, thus loosening the earth and breaking up the lumps sufliciently to pass between the rods. The lifting of the rods as they pass ead .ofthe shaker which sepa- V llO` over' theserollers widens the space between them andl facilitates the escape of the de tachedsoil and any stones, and this action together with the smooth or toothlessfcon- 'struction of the rods materially increases the separating capacity of the machine.

rods pass around the rear sides of the sprocket. wheels-g1, they swing by gravity to t e reversed or pendent position shown in Fig. 1, and' upon ascending around the front guide' .wheels g'they again assumetheir normall elevated 'osition in which they are snpported by resting upon one anothers cranked Asthe The elevator-rods, which may beymade ofl steel orwrought iron, are'very strongand yet 1 present comparatively narrow supporting Weight or'strain 'and are not liable tov bend,

sag orbreak, as is the case when they are constructed to present a Wide surface. the rods by this construction carry a smaller quantity of soil, they afford the further advantage'that they can be 'more easily agitated, thus venabling the machine to. be

.drawn by'V the animals with less exertion.

Another important advantage of providing ltlie .elevator rods 'With cranked ends is that..

"-theyare capable of swinging farther apart upon reaching the lower side of the elevator.

Incase comparatively largestones should fallupon suchlower rods, they are freeto separate"'suficiently to release and discharge them; thus reventing such stones from being carried etWeen the elevator chains and the front guide Wheels g and breaking or obstructing the elevator.

I claim as my invention "1.v Ina potato digger, the combination cfa 'separator comprising carriers. and4 transverse selparating rods provided with crank-arms by. W

ich they are journaled in the carriers, said rodsI being spaced to intercept ,-potatoes,

' means for limiting the swinging movement of the rods during a portionof their travel, and means for -delivering themateria'l upon the separator,substantially asrset'forth.

' 2. In a potato digger, the combination'of a separator comprising endless carriers and transverse separating rods provided at their ends with crank arms having Wrist pins journaled in s aid carriers, said rods being spaced to intercept potatoes, means for holding t'lie rods in their normal elevated position on the u per' side ofthe separator, W ile permitting t em to swing to a pendentposition on the lower side of the separator, the rods When `at thevloWer side of the separator being'free to The rods-are swing away from each other to increase the space b'etiveen them, and means fordeliverto intercept potatoes and the crankec endportions of adjacent rods being arranged to .overlap one another tosupport the rods in their normal elevated position While on the 'upper side of the separator, .and means for delivering the material upon the separator, substantially as set forth.

l4. In a potato digger, the combination of a separator lcomprising endless carriers and transverse separating rods provided With crank arms having Wrist pins journaled iii the carriers, said rods being spaced to'intercept potatoes, means forsupporting the rods in their normal elevated position While on' the upper side of the separator, means for agitating the rods on the u er side of the separator, and means for deivering the material upon the separator, substantially as set forth. y

5 In a potato digger, the combination of a separator comprising endless ,carriers and transverse separating rods provided with crank arms j-ournaled in the carriers7 said rods' being spaced to intercept potatoes, a

4sup ort arranged underneath the .upper side JOHN REUTHER.

`Witnesses: l C'. F. GEYER,

E.' GRAHAM.

'ing the material upon the separator, subv 3. In a potato digger, ,the combination of a itness my hand this lltliday of March, 

